Self adjusting carpet fastener



SELF ADJUS E FENTON 1,819,156

TING CARPET FASTENER Aug. 18, 1931.

Filed June 13, 1928 j Patented Aug. 18, 1931 TUBING COMPANY, or WATERBURY, nEcrIoU'r The'object of this invention is topr-ovide a fastener to be attached to a carpet, rug or other floor covering, which is adapted to cooperate with 5 member. on or in the floor to be covered, the

covering having a movable or floating memher which is adapted to move into registering position with the complemental member in case there is variation in the'distance of sep aration between the carpet element and the floor element.

The invention consists of an attaching base carrying its own means for securing it to a. carpet, rugvor other floor covering, and-sustaining in a movable manner a fastener element adapted for cooperation with a comple-V mental fastener element on or'in the floor, the fastener element which is attached to the floor .vertical section illustrating one covering, being self-adjusting so as to register with the Isaid'complemental fastener element, as 'I will proceed now to explain more fully and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in theseveral figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a top plan view; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view; Fig. 3 is an elevation, and Fig.4: is a form of the invention. Fig. 5 is a conventional vertical section of part of the fioor andthe back of a seat of an automobile and'a portion of a car- 7 pet or rug to which is attached a fastener e1e-,

ment, which is shown in elevation in engage: v ment with a hole in the floor, which hole serves the purpose! of a snap fastener element complemental to the snapfast'ene'r element on the carpet. V V

, The; invention is illustrated as embodying a' resilient head or stud member of a snap fastener. This head or stud comprises a bottom flange 1, from which rises the shank 2 terminating in a laterally extended conoidal head- 3, the shank and head being slitted longitu-,

dinally, as at 1, the slits extending only partway into the flange, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the head or stud becomes a reto pass into a complemental snap fastener hPAUL E. FENTON, on THOMASTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR Application filed June 13, 192s.

a complemental fastening part attached to the carpet,rug or other floor 7 i As indicated by the silient member which contracts to permit it UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE SELF ADJUSTING CARPET FASTENER Serial No. 285,070.

member and then expands so as to engage said complemental member.

.The head or stud is combined with a base 5, the face 6 of which is provided with an opening 7 of greater diameter of the head 3 and of smaller diameter than flange 1, so that the head or stud may have movement laterally in every direction in said base in order to become self-adjust;

the complemental socket prongs 9 being-bent toward the head or stud 1 and support the 5 so as to engage the flange head or stud in the base and admit of its freedom of movement thereon, as indicated in Figs. 2 and Land the prongs 10 being driven .into the'carpet, rug or other floor covering. 11 from its back, as indicated by'the dotted lines, Fig. 1, and the cross-section, Fig. 5. upcurved dotted lines, Fig. 1, at theleft, the prongs 10 are adapted to beset by an implement or structure of the carpet rug or other floor covering with their points vertically concealed in the face portion of said carpet, rug or other floor covering.

Referring to stated, 11 indicates a portion of a carpet, rug or other floor covering, to which is attached the fastener element of FigsQl to 1, said element being indicated in Fig. 5', by the nu: meral 12. The carpet, rug or other floor covering isshown as having. a binding.

strip 13 of its edges. 14 india floor of an automobile body,

around one or more cates part of and 15 indicates part of the back of a seat. r

The present day practice in the manufactu're of automobile bodies, provides for metal floors, and obviously it would be diflicult to secure a snap fastener element to such floor in a stable manner, and thereforein order to supply suchcomplementalmembers of a diameter than the larger and its greater por;

i machine which. Wlll curl them upwardly through the back Figs. 4 and 5, as already :care of any such variance and device self-ad usting;

off :normal to the base,

snap fastener, I provide the floor at intervals with vertically extending holes 16, of a diameter suflicient to permit the passage of the head or stud when in contracted condition, and its outer edge to be engaged by the head.3 when in expanded or normal condition.

It may readily happen that there is a variance in the spacing of the fioor'holes and the snap fastenerelements on the carpet, :rug or other floor covering, with the result that if the fastener element on the carpet, rug or other floor covering isstationary and immovable, there would be a misfit and a wrinkled or uneven condition'of the carpet, which would be not only unsightly, .but more or less annoying to the occupant vof the automobile. In order to take care of this variance, .the fastener head or stud, as already indicated, has sufficient play in .its attach- .ing base to provide for its self-adjustment with relation to the complemental fastener element in ,the floor, so that notwithstanding the above-mentioned variance, the carpet,

rug or otherfioorcovering maybe laid on the floor and attached to it unwrinkled and in a perfectly .fiat and even condition.

It is noted that *the complemental fastener element .is simply a hole drilled in 'the metal floor. A certain amount of movement or .fioatinmof thestud is necessar in order to make .it possible to introduce thegstud into the hole in the floor,eand inasmuch as the '10- ,cationof the fastener elementonthe carpet might not'be exactlyvcorrectto register with the hole in the floor, such niovability takes renders 'the In prior constructions in which'the floatling; element was supported in a casing'by ears extendinginwardly from theedgeof an annular wall which is normal ;to the casing,

saidlinwardl'y extending retaining ears when exposed to force, as of aperson treading on the fastener when applied to a carpet, will be {bent against the base or flange of the floating element thereby preventing the floating of said element in the casing,=whereas in my construction this l ability is obviated .bythe relatively large-area of the inturned .r'im bearing against the carpet and the elimination of awall or flange standing which flange has a tendency to cut intothe carpet. 'The broad surface ofthe inturned rim in-my invention presents a relatively flat contact with the "carpet and so avoids the recited evil-results :ofbeing stepped upon.

Variations in ,the details of construction 7 are permissible within the principle of the Zinventionandthe:scope ofthe claims fol- I lowing.

I WVhatl; claim is 1. A self-adjusting carpet fastener, oomprisingfabase having aface provide'd with an opening of larger diameter than the head 0 the after-mentioned stud and of smaller diameter than that of the flange of said stud, said face having a rim turned inwardly from the periphery of the face and underneath the face and its greater portion spaced from it sufficiently to permit the self-[adjustment of the stud to compensate for local variance between the stud and its socket, the said inwardly turned rim presenting ,a broad surfacegto vcontact -;w-ith,-the carpet and the ,inner margin of said rim having prongs some of which are turned inwardly in a direction parallel with and beneath the flange of the stud toisupportithestud in the base without liability to distortion and without binding the stud against freedom of lateral move ment as pressure is applied to the fastener, the other prongs ibeing anchored "in the carpet to secure the fastener thereto, and :a stud having a head extending outside of the base through the opening '"therein and 1a flange placed in saidbaseand supported thereimby said inwardly turned "prongs and slaterally movable '-in said base. a

2. A self-adjusting carpet fastener, .comprising a *base having a face provided with an opening of larger diameter than-ithe head of the after-mentioned stud and of smaller diameterthan that of the flangeoiisaidstud, said face having a rim :turned inwardly Eat a slant from the periphery of the face and underneath the face and its greater iportion spaced from it sufiioiently to permit theselfadjustment of the stud to compensate :for

local variance between the stud and its socket, the said inwardly turned rim presenting a broadbacksurface-to-contact with the back of the carpet and the inner .margin of said rimrhaving prongssome ofwhich are turned inwardly m a direction parallel with andbeneathrtheiflangeofthestudito support the stud in'thebase, the'other prongs being anchored i n the carpet to; secure'the fastener thereto, and a studhavin-g a head prongs andlaterally: movable in-sai'df base, the -lI1WfiIdlYftllIfIlBd rim serving to defend the fastener fromdistortionzinnse anditherbinding o'fthe stud agai-nst freedom ,oflateral movement-initsibase.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set hand this1=12th1 dayofjJ une 'A. 111928.- 

